The present disclosure is related to an inflatable insulator for covering an attic access hatch and, more specifically, to an insulator including at least two impermeable layers defining a chamber adapted to contain a volume of stationary air.
Many structures may include an attic or bonus space, which typically functions as a storage space because of an uneasy access, reduced ceiling height, or other reasons. Accordingly, construction of the attic space does not ordinarily follow the same building standards as that for the living space. More specifically, ventilation and insulation techniques utilized for the living spaces and the attic spaces are distinct. Most attics are not sufficiently insulated to form living space, so temperatures can reach excesses that significantly deviate from the controlled temperature in the living space of the structure.
Ventilation is also different in attics. Model building codes require attic spaces to be ventilated. A ventilated attic receives an air current pulled from an exterior of the structure. This air current is typically pulled in proximity to a lower surface of the attic space. The air current is pulled upwardly toward the most elevated region of the attic, where it is returned to the exterior environment.
During cooler seasons when the temperature is controlled to heat the living and/or work spaces of a structure, warm air rises because it has a lower density than cooler air. Because attic access hatches are generally not formed with seals (due to no significant risk of water leakage), this warm air can seep through the space formed between the access hatch and its frame. The ventilation air stream carries this warm air outside the structure. Even in structures not utilizing a ventilation system, heat in the structure may be lost through the access hatch to the colder environment in the non-heated attic space because heat transfers from a warmer body to a cooler body. Additionally, heat is conducted through the access hatch, thus causing the functional space of the structure to lose heat to the attic in winter and air-conditioning effort in the summer.
In warmer conditions, extremely hot temperatures in the attic space may also draw more power from an air conditioner unit maintaining cooler temperatures in the living spaces. Regardless of the season, utility costs may be unnecessarily driven to higher amounts based on inadequate insulation at the access hatch. Inadequate insulation may cause the furnace and air conditioner appliances to consume more energy in an effort to compensate for temperature losses and/or gains at the attic access hatch. A low-cost and easily positioned insulator unit is needed at the access hatch for effectively preventing heat convection.